The Bad Girl

The Bad Girl by Yolanda Olson Page A

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Authors: Yolanda Olson
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reason it took so long was because he had his driver move very slowly and circle certain city blocks. I was convinced that entire painfully, long ride that he was going to strangle me and have his driver dump the body.
    Leaving the house with Luuk and no one else usually meant that you were used up and either being set free or killed. The only reason you knew which was which, was because he would subject you to what I called a mental deconstruction so that you live in a semi-permanent fearful state that if you so much as thought of the house or him, he would kill you. That was a two week rigorous process. If he was going to have you killed (which he rarely did himself) he would just ask you to go for a drive with him. Refusal would be the only reason Luuk would get his hands dirty and it would always be out of a fit of rage. Like a young child throwing a deadly temper tantrum at not getting what they wanted.
    He pushed the front doors to his manor open and signaled for me to follow. Where else am I going to go, I thought miserably.
    Minikin greeted us as closely to the door as she dared. It was a bold move on her part, even though she was still at least twenty feet away.  She had her hands clasped in front of her and she was looking at me with relief washed all over her face. I nodded as I followed Luuk past her. She knew I was still alive and I knew that would offer her some comfort.
    We came to the main staircase, Luuk and I, and climbed it to the third floor. This was the floor that belonged solely to him and even though Kerstan seemed to be much more prosperous than him, he had more material things and a bigger home. When we finally reached the door to his room he turned around and faced me.
    “You will not be spending the night with me. I do not wish you to come into my room, but this is the only place that we will have some modicum of privacy. Tell me why you think I pulled you out of work so early,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest.
    “I don’t know, Luuk,” I replied after a few moments of thoughtful silence.
    He dropped his arms and looked down for a moment. It almost seemed as if what he knew what he was going to say was going to cut me like the deepest wound. It seemed like he actually gave a sliver of a damn as to how terribly this would hurt me.
    “Betje, I have received word from Kerstan’s house,” he said slowly.
    It was my turn to cross my arms over my chest. I began to tap my foot impatiently while he scuffed his against the carpet. Any word that would come from Kerstan would be about Lieve and I missed her desperately.
    “What was the word, Luuk?” I asked with a curious impatience.
    He looked up at me sharply. I should have known better than to ask questions, because he didn’t like having to answer to anyone. I owe you nothing, he told us when we came into his house, and you owe me your freedom until your debts are paid off. Then I will decide what to do with you.
    “I’m sorry,” I mumbled looking down. But tell me what you know or I might scream, I finished to myself.
    He cleared his throat and shoved his hands into his pockets, “What I’m going to say will be very hard for you to hear, but I will not allow you to take a break from working off your debt. I want you to understand that before I tell you.”
    I nodded. My heart started to sink; almost as if a sudden anchor had been released from deep within and was dragging it down to a place where I would never feel again.
    “Amity is dead.”
    I stood there and stared at Luuk. I felt sick and dizzy all at the same time as the words resounded in my mind over and over.
    Amity is dead.
    “How did it happen?” I asked my voice barely above a whisper.
    “I don’t know. I only know that Amity is dead. That is all that I received from Kerstan in the way of information. Since I know that you loved each other, I wanted to tell you. You can rejoin the other girls downstairs now,” he said, turning and disappearing into his room.
    I

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